Earhole piercing and treating apparatus



March 17, 1970 mammmqgwrrz 3,500,829

EARHOLE PIERCING AND TREATING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 9, 1968 FIG. 1 FIG. 1. 3

INVENTOR HERBERT ABRAMOWITZ ATTORNEYS.

March 17, 1970 H. ABRAMOWITZ 3,500,829

EARHOLE PIERCING AND TREATING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 9, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG].

HERBERT ABRAMOWIVTZ ATTORNEYS;

United States Patent 3,500,829 EARHOLE PIERCIN G AND TREATING APPARATUS Herbert Abramowitz, 14319 25th Ave., Whitestone, N.Y. 11357 Filed Feb. 9, 1968, Ser. No. 704,413 Int. Cl. A61b 17/34 U.S. Cl. 128-215 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DICLOSURE An apparatus for piercing the lobe of a human ear with a minimum of pain and with means for substantially eliminating the possibility of infection thereafter and while wearing the earring. The apparatus includes a hollow puncturing needle with slotted earring and short auxiliary cutting tubes sleeved thereon for piercing the lobe of the ear. The earring tube carries an ornamental ball at one end thereof and is forced into the pierced opening in the lobe with the needle and with the ball adapted to be positioned against the outer side of the lobe. The needle is thereafter removed from the sleeves and when removed another ball or a fastener is friction fitted over the other end of the tube at the inner side of the ear thereby to constitute an earring. A plastic anvil is applied against the inner side of the ear during the piercing operation to receive the pointed end of the needle and the short cutting sleeve and to protect the fingers of one hand While piercing the ear. The slotted earring tube allows air to enter the pierced opening at all times. A cleaning rod is provided for cleaning the tube and upon removing the inner ball a squeeze tube filled with a medicament or perfume can be applied to the earring tube to inject its contents into the pierced opening.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method for safely and expeditiously piercing the lobe of an ear with a minimum of pain and in which means is provided for substantially eliminating the possibility of infection once the ear has been ierced.

It is another object of the invention to provide an earring which while being worn can be used to allow for healing the ear and clear up any infection thereof resulting from the wearing of the ordinary non-aerated earrings.

It is still another object of the invention to provide an earring that may itself serve while being worn as an infection treating apparatus for sore or infected ears.

Other objects of the invention are to provide apparatus of this kind that is simple in construction, economical to manufacture and highly eflicient for the purposes intended.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE VIEWS OF THE DRAWING FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a kit enclosing the apparatus used in carrying out the present invention including pairs of puncturing needles, cutting tubes, earring tubes and ball fasteners, an anvil and a cleaning rod.

FIG. 2 is a spread perspective view of parts of the apparatus lined up for assembly of one with the other to effect a single piercing of one ear lobe.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of a silicon or plastic anvil which is held against the inner side of the ear during the piercing.

FIG. 4 is a fragment perspective view of a slotted earring tube forming part of the apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the assembled piercing parts of FIG. 2 and illustrating the manner in which the piercing of the ear lobe is effected.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the puncturing parts in the ear lobe after having pierced the same.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 6 after the puncturing needle and short cutting tube has been removed and the ball fastener applied to the earring tube to secure the earring upon the ear.

FIG. 8 is a sectional View of the earring tube removed from the ear and illustrating the manner in which the tube is cleaned with the cleaning rod.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary side view of a squeeze vial or bulb containing a medication or perfume and sealed ready for use.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the earring tube being held while the bulb is punctured and fixed to the end of the tube and being squeezed to treat the pierced opening of the ear.

FIG. 11 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified slotted earring tube in which the ball end is closed.

FIG. 12 is a longitudinal sectional view of the modified closed end slotted earring tube with illustration being made as to how the cleaning rod is applied to clean the tube.

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of a kit without the piercing needle, short cutting tube and anvil but merely a set of earring tubes of the closed end form, treating bulbs and cleaning rod for the user desiring earring for infected ear openings or just earrings alone.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING Referring now in detail to the various views of the drawing, it is intended to market the improved apparatus for piercing an ear lobe, in a kit, such as a transparent plastic envelope or other container 10 shown in FIG. 1 housing the apparatus, comprising broadly hollow needles 12, slotted tubes 14 each having an earring ornament 16 thereon, and short auxiliary tubes or needles 15, and free ball friction grip fasteners 18, a clean out rod 20 and a silicon platform for resting the ear lobe during the piercing operation.

The hollow needle 12 is provided for piercing an ear lobe 22 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 5 from the front to the back thereof. The hollow needle has the usual elongated shank portion 24 with a beveled pointed cutting end 26. On the other end, there is a press stop button 28. The needle is adapted to receive the slotted tube 14 which is provided with a central bore 30 entering the ball end 16 thereof. This tube 14 is formed with an elongated slot 32 intermediate its ends communicating with the central bore 30 thereof. The entering end of the tube 14 is rounded smooth as indicated at 17. The

.short auxiliary tube 15 that serves to facilitate cutting through the ear has a sharp cutting bevel end 19 and rounded at the other end to abut the rounded end 17 of the slotted tube 14 when fitted over the piercing hollow needle 12 as shown in FIG. 6.

In use, the tube 14 with ball 16 on its end and the short auxiliary tube 15 are sleeved over the shank of the needle 12 to the positions shown in FIG. 5, with the stop end 28 placed between the fingers of the one hand of the user and the fingers of the other hand holding the plastic platform or anvil 21 against the other side of the ear lobe 22 of the ear to be pierced, the hollow needle 12 is manually forced through the lobe 22 cutting a passage 34 therethrough and simultaneously forcing the tube 15 and 14 through the passage 34 until the ball 16 of the tube 14 engages the lobe of the ear as shown in FIG. 6 and the short tube 15 has penetrated the anvil 21 and remains in there when the needle 12 is pulled out or withdrawn from the slotted tube 14. The hollow puncturing needle 12 will have been removed from the tube 14 and ball 16. The inserted tube 14 and end balls 16 and 18 thereby will constitute an earring. The other ball fastener or ornament 18 which is provided with a central bore 36 is then mounted on the protruding end of the tube 14. The bore 36 of this ball fastener is lined with rubber liner or friction gripping material 37.

The cleaning rod is provided with a handle 50 and is used for cleaning out the bore of the tube 14 in the manner shown in FIG. 8. The rod is slide fitted in the bore of the tube 14 to effect the cleaning action and is adapted to remove foreign infected matter which may have collected in the ear hole at any time. This is done after the wearer has worn the earring for a length of time.

The slotted tube 14 allows air to enter the ear hole so as to allow the punctured surface to heel and epithalize quicker and to allow for drainage in cases of active infection.

The plastic anvil 21 may be sterilized in a gas sterilizer or autoclave without danger of harm thereto.

In FIGS. 3, 9 and 10, there is shown a rubber-like or squeeze bulb 44 with an outlet end 46, containing a medicament or perfume 48, placed over the free protruding end of the slotted tube 14 for squeezing and forcing the medicament out through the elongated slot 32 in the tube 14, the slot 32 being longer than the width of the lobe of the ear so that air may enter thereinto at all times. While squeezing the bulb 44 the ball end 16 of the tube 14 will be kept closed by a finger over opening.

In FIGS. 11 and 12, a modified form of the invention is shown. Tube 14" differs from tube 14 in that one end thereof is closed by a solid enlargement forming an integral ornament 52 to take the place of the ornament 16. An ornamental ball such as the ball 18 may be mounted on the other end of the tube 14".

FIG. 12 illustrates the cleaning rod 20 cleaning out the bore 30" of the tube 14".

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise constructions herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may he made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. An ear lobe piercing apparatus comprising a needle having a press button at one end thereof, a first tube sleeved over one end of said needle adjacent the press button, a short, auxiliary, cutting tube sleeved over the other end of the needle, and an ornamental element on the end of the tube adjacent the press button when the needle is in operative position.

2. An ear lobe piercing and treating apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the tube has a closed end slot intermediate its ends communicating with the bore therethrough, said slot being longer than the Width of the lobe of the ear being pierced to permit air to enter the slot and bore when the tube is in the lobe of the ear and to permit entrance and exit of a liquid medicament, thus allowing for discharge from the punctured ear hole and faster healing of the punctured ear hole.

3. An ear lobe piercing and treating apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the medicament injecting means comprising a squeezable ball containing a medicament, said ball adapted to be mounted on the free protruding end of the tube whereby upon squeezing the ball the medicament is ejected through the bore and slot of the tube into the passage in the lobe of the ear formed by the needle.

4. An ear lobe piercing and treating apparatus as defined in claim 1 and a medicament injecting means comprising a rubber-like bulb having an outlet adapted to be sleeved over the free protruding end of the tube, said bulb containing a medicament adapted to be ejected through the bore and slot of the tube upon squeezing the bulb into the passage in the lobe of the ear formed by the needle, the opening in the other end of the tube being closed by the finger of the user.

5. An ear lobe piercing and treating apparatus as defined in claim 1, and another ornamental element with friction elastic fit adapted to be mounted on the free protruding end of the tube, said tube, first-named ornamental element and other ornamental element defining an earring.

6. An ear lobe piercing and treating apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein the needle is bevelled.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 161,853 4/1875 Baker 63-12 2,568,207 9/1951 Spicher 128--329 FOREIGN PATENTS 98,330 4/1913 Germany.

L. W. TRAPP, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 1 8-329 

